Can carrier



p 28, 1965 F. E. ARMITAGE ETAL 3,208,614

CAN CARRIER Filed Oct. 5, 1964 INVENTORS FRANK E. ARM/77465 CHARLES S.WALRATH JR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,208,614 CAN CARRIER Frank E.Armitage, 6042 W. 2nd St., and Charles S. El/zzlgath, Jr., 195 FairbanksAve., both of Sacramento,

Filed Oct. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 401,314 9 Claims. (Cl. 214373) Ourinvention relates to means especially useful in assisting a person orworkman in transporting a can loaded with material for example a garbagecan. The customary garbage can is a circular cylindrical container witha solid bottom and a removable top and is usually supplied with a pairof handle loops on opposite sides, the handle loops being movable from arelaxed position resting against the can into an extended and stoppedposition outstanding from the can. It is often necessary to move agarbage can or similar container from one location to another and thisis not only awkward but the size of the customary can is such that whenloaded it presents more of a burden to the mover than is ordinarilydesirable or feasible.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide a can carrierwhich can easily be utilized to lift and transport the customary garbagecan.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can carrier which can beextended for use but can be collapsed for storage and portability whennot in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a can carrier whicheasily can be operated by a single user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can carrier which willextend itself virtually automatically upon use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can carrier which willreadily engage with a garbage can despite limited room.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can carrier which willengage a garbage can and hold it in a well balanced position forportability.

Another object of the invention is to provide a can carrier which issimple and cheap to manufacture and is devoid of elaborate machinery andavoids costly repairs.

Other objects of the invention, together with the foregoing are attainedin the exemplary embodiment described in the accompanying descriptionand shown in the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is aperspective view of the can carrier in compact condition, 7

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the can carrier in partially erectedcondition, and

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the can carrier in engagement with thecan and in erected position.

While the can carrier can be embodied in a number of different ways andcan be easily adapted to lift and transport other items than garbagecans it has with considerable success been incorporated and designedespecially for can transport and for that reason the description hereinis applied to such an environment.

The customary garbage can i a circular cylindrical body 6 having aclosed bottom 7 and a removable lid 8. Handles 9 and 11 are supplied onopposite sides of the can. These handles normally depend as shown by thehandle 9 in FIGURE 3 but other times extend against a stop as shown bythe handle 11 in FIGURE 3.

For use in connection with a garbage can of this sort we provide a carcarrier including a pair of ground engaging wheels 13 and 14 preferablyrubber tired and mounted for rotation at the ends of an axle 16.Projecting rearwardly from the central portion of the axle 16 is a lowerstub tube 17 to the free end of which is connected a handle framegenerally designated 18. Included in the handle frame is a pair ofrearward frame tubes 19 and 21 arranged parallel to each other and lyingon opposite sides of the lower stub tube 17, being fastened thereto forpivotal motion by a through bolt 22. At their upper ends the parallelrearward frame tubes 19 and 21 are fixed to a handle 23 curved intosubstantially a horizontal position in the normal orientation of theparts and provided with a cushioned hand grip 24.

Also secured to the central portion of the axle and upstanding therefromat an acute angle with regard to the lower stub tube is a forwardupright tube 26 extending upwardly to receive a slidable tube 27. Thetube 27 is freely telescoped within the forward upright tube 26 but isheld in any one of several selected positions therein by a pin 28 whichpasses through an appropriate aperture in the upright tube 26 and alsopasses through any one of a number of apertures (not shown) in slidabletube 27. At its upper end the slidable tube carries a can hook 29conveniently fabricated of a short length of angle iron welded to itsupper end.

Also secured to the forward upright tube 26 is an upper stub tube 31extending rearwardly therefrom substantially in the plane of the lowerstub tube 17. To either side of the free end of the upper stub tube 31is disposed one of a pair of forward toggle tubes 33 and 34. These arepivotally held by a through bolt 36 and are arranged in parallelrelationship. In this position of the device the tubes 33 and 34 alsolie on either side of a rearward toggle tube 37 to which they areconnected by a through pin 38. The lower end of the rearward toggle tubeis provided with a pivot tube 39 to which it is welded firmly. The pivottube 39 lies between the two rearward frame tubes 19 and 21 of thehandle frame 18 and is pivotally connected thereto by means of a throughbolt 41. The arrangement of the various pivots 22, 36, 38 and 41 is suchthat, as shown in FIGURE 1, when the rearward toggle tube is movedadjacent the handle frame 18 the free or operating portion of the tube37 pulls the structure virtually together so that it is in compactcondition and may be easily stowed or stored.

When the operating portion of the rearward toggle tube 37 is movedoutwardly and downwardly as indicated by the arrow 44 in FIGURE 2 thenthe forward toggle tubes 33 are 34 are moved substantially toward andinto a straight line position with respect to the rearward toggle tube37. This motion moves the forward upright tube 26 away from and apartfrom the handle frame 18. Alternatively, if the forward upright tube 26is pulled away from the handle frame 18, the various toggle tubes arethereby pulled into a substantially straight line position.

In the forward position of the upright tube 26 the can hook 29 is inposition to engage the outwardly extending handle 11 of a garbage can.Initially this engagement is made when the can is resting on the ground46 on which the wheels 13 and 14 rest. In this position the forwardupright tube 26 is inclined toward the garbage can at its upper endalthough the wheels 13 and 14 are away therefrom. When the user, havingso guided the mechanism, then depresses the handle grip 24 the wheels 13and 14 in effect roll forwardly and the can is lifted by the handle 11and swings back toward the forward upright tube until it rests against acurved can bar 47 secured at its center to the forward upright tube andextending partly around the periphery of the garbage can 6. If desired,the can hook can be engaged with the can handle 9 before the toggletubes are in straight line position.

The parts finally come into transport rest position approximately asshown although the handle can be further depressed and the center ofgravity of the can 6 can move directly above the axle 16 so that it ismerely necessary for the user to wheel the can to a new location.Thereat the handle 23 can be tipped forwardly until the bottom 7 of thegarbage can again engages the ground 46 thus transfering the weight fromthe carrier to the ground. Further movement of the handle 24 upwardlyrolls the wheels back and disengages the can hook 29 from the handle 11so that the carrier is disengaged. A rotation of the handle 37 from itsstraight out toggle position as shown in FIGURE 3 through the FIGURE 2position and into the collapsed position shown in FIGURE 1 restores theparts to their original location so that the device can be compactlystowed for future use.

By removal of the pin 28 and vertically adjusting the tube 27 within thetube 26 and then repinning it in the new position the height of the canhook 29 can be adjusted to accommodate the device for engagement withany size garbage can. If desired a catch can be pro vided to hold thehandle or operating portion of the tube 37 in the same plane as theforward toggle tubes 33 and 34 when in the FIGURE 3 position.

What is claimed is:

1. A can lifter comprising an axle, a pair of ground engaging wheels onsaid axle, a forward upright tube on said axle, a curved can bar mountedon and extending transversely from said forward upright tube, a can hookmounted at the upper end of said forward upright tube, a pair ofrearward frame tubes parallel to each other, means for mounting saidrearward frame tubes at their lower ends to pivot relative to said axle,a handle joined to the upper end of said rearward frame tubes, a pair offorward toggle tubes parallel to each other, means for mounting saidforward toggle tubes at their forward ends to pivot relative to saidforward upright tube, a rearward toggle tube adapted to pass betweensaid forward toggle tubes and said rearward frame tubes, means forpivoting said rearward toggle tube at one end to said rearward frametubes, and means for pivoting said rearward toggle tube intermediate itsends to said forward toggle tubes.

2. A can lifter as in claim 1 including a tube slidable within saidforward upright tube for supporting said can hook.

3. A can lifter as in claim 2 including means for holding said slidabletube at any one selected location within said forward upright tube.

4. A can lifter as in claim 1 in which said means for mounting saidrearward frame tubes to pivot relative to said axle includes a lowerstub tube projecting upwardly from said axle behind said forward uprighttube.

5. A can lifter as in claim 1 in which said means for mounting saidforward toggle tubes to pivot relative to said forward upright tubeincludes an upper stub tube extending rearwardly from said forwardupright tube.

6. A can lifter comprising an axle structure, a pair of ground engagingwheels on said axle structure, a forward upright tube structureupstanding from the center of said axle structure, a can bar mounted onand extending transversely of said forward upright tube structure, ahandle frame, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of saidhandle frame to said axle structure, a toggle linkage pivotallyconnected to said handle frame and to said forward upright tubestructure, and a can hook mounted on said forward upright tubestructure.

7. A can lifter as in claim 6 in which said can hook is an angle ironadapted to be received in the looped handle of a can.

8. A can lifter as in claim 6 in which said can hook is adjustable as toheight above the upper end of said forward upright tube structure.

9. A can lifter as in claim 6 in which said toggle linkage is inextended position when said forward upright tube structure and saidhandle frame are relatively far apart.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 725,828 4/03Davis 214-383 1,431,861 10/22 Adams 214375 2,784,856 3/57 Jordan 214-3832,816,674 12/57 Koontz 214384 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

1. A CAN LIFTER COMPRISING AN AXLE, A PAIR OF GROUND ENGAGING WHEELS ONSAID AXLE, A FORWARD UPRIGHT TUBE ON SAID AXLE, A CURVED CAR BAR MOUNTEDON AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID FORWARD UPRIGHT TUBE, A CAN HOOKMOUNTED AT THE UPPER END OF SAID FORWARD UPRIGHT TUBE, A PAIR OFREARWARD FRAME TUBES PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAIDREARWARD FRAME TUBES AT THEIR LOWER ENDS TO PIVOT RELATIVE TO SAID AXLE,A HANDLE JOINED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID REARWARD FRAME TUBES, A PAIR OFFORWARD TOGGLE TUBES PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAIDFORWARD TOGGLE TUBES AT THEIR FORWARD ENDS TO PIVOT RELATIVE TO SAIDFORWARD UPRIGHT TUBE, A REARWARD TOGGLE TUBE ADAPTED TO PASS BETWEENSAID FORWARD TOGGLE TUBES AND SAID REARWARD FRAME TUBES, MEANS FORPIVOTING SAID REARWARD TOGGLE TUBE AT ONE END TO SAID REARWARD FRAMETUBES, AND MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID REARWARD TOGGLE TUBE INTERMEDIATE ITSENDS TO SAID FORWARD TOGGLE TUBES.